Happy 21st affiliated anniversary to the Tampa Bay Rays and Durham Bulls!
On this date in 1996, the Devil Rays were granted the Durham Bulls as their Triple-A team for the start of the 1998 season. This was great for both sides. The Bulls would be making the jump from High-a, a move the team had been trying to make for decades. And the Devil Rays, the new kids on the block, would be associated with a feeder club rich in history.
The Bulls history can be traced all the way back to 1902 with a very storied past.